Flour & Dough

Beijing · Wood-fired roast duck, sliced and wrapped in pancakes—a world-class classic

Beijing · Fermented mung bean sour soup + deep-fried dough rings, soul of old Beijing

Beijing · Pork intestine and lung with flatbread, garlic sauce and cilantro, a southern Beijing classic

Beijing · Glutinous rice with red bean paste rolled in soybean flour, three-layer yellow-white-red

Changsha · Black outer skin fried to a crisp, then filled with garlic and chili sauce

Chengdu · Beef tallow red broth, tripe, aorta, and goose intestine all in one pot

Chengdu · Minced pork with pickled mustard greens and crushed peanuts, mala perfection

Chengdu · Sichuan peppercorn, chili, and doubanjiang—the soulful way to cook tender tofu

Chengdu · Everything on bamboo skewers takes a dip in bubbling chili oil

Chengdu · Glutinous rice balls thrown against a brass plate, three bangs, then coated in soybean flour and brown sugar

Chongqing · Beef tallow and tripe hot pot, mala aroma in a nine-grid cauldron

Chongqing · Alkaline noodles with chili, Sichuan pepper, scallions, and crushed peanuts

Chongqing · Duck blood, tripe, and luncheon meat in a pot of mala

Chongqing · Handmade ice jelly + brown sugar water + crushed peanuts + raisins

Guangzhou · Translucent wrapper revealing fresh whole shrimp, king of the four great dim sum

Guangzhou · Two-layer milk skin from buffalo milk, a Shunde classic

Guiyang · Thin rice crepe wraps stuffed with shredded veggies and peanuts, dipped in sour-spicy sauce

Harbin · Pork loin battered and fried, then drenched in sweet and sour sauce

Harbin · Russian-style large bread, tangy, soft, and fluffy

Harbin · Everything stewed in a giant iron pot—ribs, chicken, fish, with flatbread stuck to the side

Haikou · Free-range chicken poached to perfection — tender flesh with a golden gelatinous skin, Hainan's national dish

Hangzhou · Scallion and fried dough stick rolled in a spring pancake and pressed-grilled

Hefei · Anhui-style roast duck with a crispy skin and tender meat, basted with fermented bean sauce

Hohhot · Whole lamb roasted over charcoal, crisped skin and juicy meat — the grandest Mongolian feast

Hohhot · Hohhot-style shaomai with paper-thin wrappers, generously filled with mutton and scallion

Jinan · Hand-twisted dough spirals deep-fried to golden crispness, a Jinan breakfast staple

Kunming · Rice cakes grilled over charcoal, spread with sauce and wrapped around a fried dough stick

Kunming · Thousand-layer flaky steamed buns with ham and sugar filling

Lhasa · Roasted highland barley flour mixed with yak butter tea — the staple food of the Tibetan plateau

Macau · Crispy bone-in pork chop stuffed into a warm, crusty pineapple bun — Macau's favorite handheld

Nanjing · Jinling salted duck, white skin, red flesh, and green-tinged bone

Nanjing · Duck fat kneaded into dough, layer upon layer of crispiness

Qingdao · Whole sea bream pan-fried to crisp-golden skin with just salt and pepper

Qingdao · Hand-chopped mackerel filling in thin-skinned dumplings, a Qingdao seaside tradition

Shanghai · Nanxiang-style soup dumplings, thin skin, rich broth, 18 pleats

Shenyang · Double-fried pork loin in sweet and sour sauce—crispy outside, tender inside

Shenyang · Crispy flatbread layered with smoked pork, a rustic Manchu classic

Shenyang · Century-old dumpling shop known for delicate wrappers and juicy fillings

Shenyang · Ribs, chicken, or fish stewed in a giant iron cauldron with flatbread on the sides

Shenzhen · Guangming Farm red-braised pigeon, crispy skin and tender meat

Shijiazhuang · Shredded braised donkey meat stuffed into a crisp shaobing—Hebei's iconic street sandwich

Shijiazhuang · Fine shredded dough deep-fried and coated in granulated sugar—crispy, airy, golden threads

Suzhou · Suzhou-style pan-fried buns, thin skin, crispy bottom, rich juices

Taipei · Sticky rice sausage wrapping a pork sausage, a night market must-eat

Taiyuan · Hand-shaved noodles cut directly from a dough block into boiling water — Shanxi's noodle art

Taiyuan · Thumb-sized dough curls shaped like cat ears, stir-fried or in soup

Taiyuan · A rich vegetable and noodle breakfast soup thickened with sorghum flour — Taiyuan's morning bowl

Tianjin · 18-pleat steamed buns with half-leavened dough and juicy filling

Tianjin · Mung bean crepe + egg + fried dough stick + fermented sauce

Tianjin · Assorted stuffed fried dough twists, crispy and sweet

Wuhan · Egg skin wrapped around glutinous rice, diced pork, and mushrooms, golden on both sides

Wuhan · Jingwu Road duck neck, spicy, numbing, and chewy

Urumqi · Tandoor-baked lamb-filled buns, crispy skin, fragrant meat

Urumqi · Tandoor-baked flatbread with sesame, can be stored for months

Xi'an · Braised chopped meat stuffed in a baiji bun—ancestor of the Chinese hamburger

Xi'an · Hand-torn flatbread soaked in lamb soup, served with sweet garlic and chili paste

Hong Kong · Charcoal-roasted goose, crispy skin, tender meat, and rich juices

Zhengzhou · Peppery beef bone broth with tofu skin, gluten, and wood ear mushrooms—Zhengzhou's morning essential

Zhengzhou · Layered sesame flatbread hot from the clay oven, crispy and flaky—perfect with soup or lamb